26 - Fruit development and ripening: A molecular perspective

Abstract

Publisher Summary Fruits developed from one flower are divisible into two broad categories referred to as simple or aggregate, whereas the inflorescence-derived fruit are considered multiple fruit. Fruit development involves three basic phases. The first phase is the development of the ovary and the initiation of the cell division, together called a fruit set. In the second phase, cell division is the predominant feature. During the third phase, fruit increases in size mainly by cell expansion. Each phase of fruit development and ripening involves specific gene activity as revealed by transcriptomic analyses. Fruit ripening is a complex process regulated by both genetic and epigenetic factors. It includes changes occurring in physiologically mature green fruit through the early stages of senescence and is responsible for characteristic aesthetic and/ or food quality attributes of fruit. During ripening, a fruit undergoes a dramatic shift in gene expression that results in many desirable changes including texture and firmness, sugar accumulation, reduction in organic acids, alterations in pigments leading to development of characteristic color, and production of volatiles responsible for flavor and aroma. Ethylene is known to play a central role in fruit ripening, and only recently the recognition has also dawned that other molecules and/or processes likely interact and impact the fruit physiology and desirable attributes of edible fruits.